Fire Lilies
by Saphire5000
Summary: Mai and Zuko share a sad experience, and Mai actually shows some emotion. VERY VERY VERY MAIKO! Maiko family. Please give it a chance! R
1. Chapter 1

Hey, guys, I decided to do a maiko piece! I'm writing from my phone, so please pardon my spelling errors. Anyways, here:

...Mai...  
She felt something warm and sticky run down her leg. No. No. Noooooo! That wasn't possible it was 7and a Half months early! She quickly snapped out if her thoughts and turned her attention back to the sticky mess at hand. She slapped Zuko's arm and he jolted out of sleep  
"Zuko! Something's wrong!" She added a lot emotion and panic into her words -something unusual for her.  
"What is it?" He asked her.  
" I don't know, if I did why would I be panicking?" She replied back with her usual sarcastic dullness. She pulled down the silky crimson sheets they used in the summer. A pool of blood was in between Mai's legs. They both looked at each other in confusion, and shock. Zuko stood up and pulled on a robe (as he was only in his thin night clothes, and it wouldn't be appropriate to be running around the palace in.)  
"Mai, I'm going to go get the physician, I'll be right back!"  
A wave of pain flushed her abdomen. Her eyes started to water at the sudden jab in her lower stomach.  
"No, Zuko, don't leave me!" She poured as much pleading as she could muster into those five words. He looked at her sadly.  
" I'll only be a minute, I promise" he swiftly left the room. Mai, alone in the dark, started to silently cry. All pain subsided and things returned back to normal. She fell back onto the pillow, disregarding the bloody sheets. She drew in a jagged breath and relaxed her muscles. About two minutes later, Zuko, and Li Han(the physician) came into the bedroom. Zuko sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. Just having him hold her felt so nice- even though she would never admit that to him, or anyone for that matter. Mai explained to Li Han what had happened with a few interjections from Zuko. Li Han just shook his head.  
"Firelord Zuko, and Firelady Mai, I am so sorry to have to tell you this, but what you had was a miscarriage. Your child is dead." Everything was dead silent for several moments. Li Han spoke again.  
"Right now, just have everything cleaned up, and you can try again in a few months...I am dreadfully sorry." Li Han left Zuko and Mai alone.  
They both just stayed in their positions for about 20 minutes after he left. Mai broke the silence.  
"I'm going to go take a bath"  
...

When Mai came out she noticed Zuko was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, and he had apparently had the maids change the sheets. They both crawled into bed again without saying a word, and layed on our respective sides of the bed, turned away from each other. Right before she fell asleep, she let out a quiet, breathy  
"I'm sorry"  
...

They ate in silence, and avoided each other all day. Come evening, Mai went out to the small pavilion out in the garden. It was rainy and foggy. The rain was rhythmic and lulling. It was as relaxing as a cup of uncle's jasmine tea. The only difference between the tea and the mood of the evening was that the tea was warm, and helped her relax peacefully. The evening was chilly, and seemed to make her want to jump off a mountain. Surrounding the secluded pavilion, where several medium height fire lily bushes. Mai plucked a lily of the nearest bush. She sat down on the bench. The lily was beautiful in a sad sort of way. The colours were pretty, the orange, pink and red mixing in perfect harmony and balance, but the fire lily was already starting to wilt, as it had been pulled from its life line. It reminded her of what her mind was ultimately trying to avoid thinking about all day. The baby. Her baby. Zuko's baby. She had killed it, just as she killed the fire lily. She had took away it's lifeline, and she didn't actually realize what had happened until it was done.  
"I'm sorry!" She said out loud, as if someone was listening.  
" I didn't want this, I wanted a baby, to love, to teach!" She continued her vent.  
"I never meant for this to happen! I wanted a perfect family, a home filled with love, and expression. I would have never told my child to sit still, eat gracefully, and only spoke when spoken to! I wanted life, I wanted a family! A family that was all mine!"  
By the end, she was practically shouting. From behind her, a quiet voice said  
"Me too" Mai was surprised to see Zuko.  
" How long have you been here?" She asked silently, cautious to make her voice normal, and wipe any stray tears that may have fallen.  
"I followed you here, so, all the time"  
He sat down beside her.  
"I wanted us to have a family too. Something that was both of us. Like, common ground- a variant neutral jing... But... It wasn't meant to be if it didn't happen. Uncle once told me 'destiny is a funny thing' and now... I see he was right. It's surprising." He put his arms around her and raised his body heat to warm her up. He felt something wet fall on his arm. The dam had burst. He pulled his wife into his lap and held her as his mother did him when he was young and had awoken from a nightmare.  
"But, I lost your baby, it's all my fault he or she isn't still here!" She sobbed and looked down at the fire lily she had in her hands.  
" It wasn't your fault! Don't ever say that! The spirits made it clear it wasn't meant to be..." He had to stop to lower his voice.  
"I love you. The end. Baby or not. And, like Li Han said, we can try again in a few months. " He rubbed his thumbs over both her cheeks to dry her tears, and kissed her nose.  
"Zuko, I love you too"

Mai and Zuko walked in their garden, with four year old Honora. They stopped at a willow tree and Zuko pulled aside the branches and leaves for his wife and daughter to go under. Under the tree was a single fire lily bush. It was the family's favourite place because nobody would suspect the royal family were under a mature willow tree.  
"Mom, dad? Why is this bush here?"  
Zuko sat his daughter in his lap, wrapped his left arm around her tiny waist, and leaning back on the other.  
"Well, it's a personal memorial to another member of our family"  
"Who!?" Honora asked in wide eyes and excitement.  
"Will I get to meet them?"  
" One day, maybe" Honora's face dropped.  
"Oh. Okay." She  
Turned back to her mother who took her with willing arms.  
"Mama, the lilies are very pretty..."  
...

Well, that turned out pretty good I think! So, I was thinking about doing another story about how each  
Family member comes to the bush at different points in their lives, tell me if you want that! (I might do it anyways if I fell up to it) Anyways, please review or follow, or PM or something! Thanks!  
~Veronique


	2. Chapter 2

Fifteen years today. Fifteen. 1. 5. Fifteen years ago today, his mother left, never to be found again. Zuko remained in a quiet vigil for her.  
"Daddy, will you come have a tea party with me!?" Five year old Honora begged.  
" Please daddy, please daddy, please daddy please! Its Mrs. Fluffy's third birthday! Please daddy!" Zuko shook his head.  
"Not today's ,Hons" she gave him the polarbear dog pup eyes.  
"Pllleeeaaaasseee.." She begged, drawing out the syllables.  
"No Honora Ursa! Not today" she shied away from him and scampered away. He never yelled at his daughter, and much less used her full name. He felt like the lowest scum on earth. Great, now his daughter thinks he's a "meanie head".

He walked along the corridor and looked out at the turtle duck pond. He shuffled outside and plopped down under the tree. He beckoned a maid over and asked her to fetch some bread from the kitchen. Zuko sat like that for hours, under the tree, feeding the turtle ducks like he would with his mother. The young man was losing the war with his emotions. Even after 15 years, it sill ached. She was the missing piece to his happily ever after. He hears footsteps behind him.  
"What's wrong, your royal angstyness?" A familiar, raspy voice called.  
"Not in the mood, Mai" he refused to make eye contact with her. Mai just walked away, not wanting to get involved in her husband's brooding. Zuko just stared at his reflection in the water. He felt bad; his mother being banished was his fault, his sister was insane, he chased his wife and only child away, he hardly saw his old friends, his life was far from perfect.

He got up and went to his favourite place. The willow tree. He pulled back the long droopy branches and crawled under. He looked at the bush.  
" My mother is dead, because of me" and, of course, there was no response. Just silence. He started to break down.  
"She gave her life, her happiness, all for me, " His voice cracked "I just wish she was here to see her granddaughter, spirits, Honora is just like her..." He softly chuckled. "Well, she is short tempered and impatient like me, but other that that.." Zuko heard something behind him, instinctively, he entered a bending stance. A small figure with black hair and eyes reflecting his own came under the tree. Gold met gold and Zuko fell apart. He gathered his daughter into his arms and wept.  
"I'm very sorry, daddy, I didn't mean to make you sad" Zuko smiled.  
"No, Honora, I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have yelled...I've just...had a long day"  
"Do you want to talk about it daddy? Mama says talking things out can help solve issues."  
" Its okay Honora, I don't really like to talk about myself" he wiped the last traces of tears off his face.  
"Well," he started "how about I tell you a story, since I missed the tea party today" she smiled.  
"Once there was a little boy named Kozu..."

...

So, I think that was good-ish... Thanks for reading, don't hesitate to leave a reveiw! They make me smile! (: Have a colourful day!

~Véronique


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